The best Saturn emulator right now. SSF is superior to [[Yabause]] and [[Mednafen]] for compatibility, but is Windows only, closed source and requires mounting ISO files in a virtual drive to run them.

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A recent major update to 0.12 improved compatibility for certain games and broke others. It added support for some of the games such as Astal (needs "Enable SH2 Cache"). Keep both versions, pre- and post-0.12 just in case. To raise compatibility, you can try with "No Bios" enabled or disabled, and you'll want to start with the MaxCompatibility (slow) option, then try with the faster options (that do not always work).

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SSF requires either an external virtual drive or a specific loader to read disc images. Close and restart the emulator (as it says in the Japanese dialogue popup appearing) whenever you modify the options for them to take effect.

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Even though it has a "No Bios" option, you'll sometimes need the BIOS files, of course specifying the correct region in the options.

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Some useful commands:

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* F7: Pause and Load State (Press 0-9 to choose)

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* Shift + F7: Pause and Save State (Press 0-9 to choose)

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* Numeral Pad 1-6: Disable 2D layers. Useful for sprite rips. Keep in mind this often causes 3D games to crash, and they already have lower compatibility than 2D one when it comes to general emulations.

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* You can change the speed of emulation under options up to 4x.

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==Guides and Info==

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[http://www.racketboy.com/retro/sega/saturn/ssf-a-nearly-perfect-sega-saturn-emulator General Guide]

[https://www.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.geocities.jp%2Fmj3kj8o5%2Fssf%2Fsetting.html&sandbox=1 Shima's FAQ about compatibility issues. Note that this is Japanese-to-English Google Translate, and has a very shoddy syntax as a result.]

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==Review==

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[https://segaretro.org/SSF See the external links in this Sega Retro page for guides and compatibility databases].

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===Troubleshooting===

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A rough translation of Shima's FAQ about compatibility issues with various games and fixes for them. The original can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20190331080907/http://www.geocities.jp/mj3kj8o5/ssf/setting.html here].

The best, and only good Saturn emulator right now. Windows only and closed source sadly. Far, far better than Yabause.

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===CHDSSF===

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[https://github.com/batteryshark/CHDSSF This loader] allows you to use disc image without having to mount them at all with the only major caveat being that it requires you to convert your rips to .CHD beforehand using [http://forums.bannister.org//ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=68262#Post68262 chdman] or one of it's forks.

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It had a recent major update, 0.12, which improved compatibility for certain games but broke others. It added support for some of games like Astal (needs "Enable SH2 Cache"). Keep both versions, pre- and post-0.12 just in case. To raise compatibility, you can try with "No Bios" enabled or disabled, and you'll want to start with the MaxCompatibility (slow) option, then try with the faster options (that do not always work).

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===Cheating with CEP===

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The emulator needs an external virtual drive to read iso files. You'll need to close and restart the emulator (as it says in the Japanese dialogue popup appearing) whenever you modify the options for them to take effect.

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# [https://gamehacking.org/downloads/cep022.zip download CEP] and prepare your CODELIST.TXT file. You can find an [https://eadmaster.altervista.org/pub/index.php?page=cheatpacks#ssf example with some codes and an handy converter here].

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# start SSF.exe and wait for the game to load, then click About->cep, and leave the dialog with the base address opened.

# make sure the address in the field in the 2nd line matches the one in SSF (NO NEED TO CLICK "Search"). Usually it won't match and you will have to change a few digits.

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# click "Codes" tab, select the current game and the cheat codes you want to enable

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# click the "On" button to activate codes

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Even though it has a "No Bios" option, you'll sometimes need the bios files, of course specifying the correct region in the options.

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===Free Virtual Drive Software===

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As said above one of the ways to get SSF to use disc images is using a virtual disc drive. Sadly, most of the good free ones don't work with SSF for one reason or another. They either have a bunch of adware or they don't support some formats. The ones that do work (along with some that don't) will be listed below.

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F7: Pause and Load State (Press 0-9 to choose)

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As of [https://twitter.com/FessX/status/1151502018185293824 Preview Version R4], you can mount CD images that use .cue and .bin files by going to Options > Peripherals, then in the ''CD Image'' section, select '''Enable''', then select the .cue file of your choosing, and restart the emulator. Mind you that this feature is still experimental, ergo the game will likely crash at certain points, so it's best to use the software below.

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Shift+F7: Pause and Save State (Press 0-9 to choose)

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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

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|+List of Free Virtual Drive Software

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|-

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! scope="col"|Program Name

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! scope="col"|Pros

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! scope="col"|Cons

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|[https://www.elby.ch/en/download.html Virtual CloneDrive]

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* Isn't a cut-down version of a paid software.

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* Very lightweight.

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* Doesn't try to install unwanted software.

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* Doesn't support .mdf/.mds files. This is kind of a big deal, since quite a few of the Saturn's popular titles are only available as mdf/mds.

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* Can't mount .cue files. DON'T mount the .bin instead, as SSF will boot you back to the bios whenever it feels like it if you do. Instead, make a .ccd/.img copy with CloneCD and another virtual drive program.

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|[http://yubsoft.com/imgdrive/ ImgDrive]

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* Very lightweight.

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* Doesn't try to install unwanted software.

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* Can be used from the command line.

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* Doesn't seem to work with .cue/.bin or .cue/.iso files (disc gets mounted, but without audio tracks).

* The installer forces you to install crapware called Smart File Advisor, which you can't uninstall without uninstalling Alcohol.

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(You can mostly ignore the program by stopping it from running on startup, or you can install the program while completely offline using an [http://www.free-codecs.com/download/alcohol_52.htm offline installer] and the crapware will fail to install itself and won't cause any further issues at any point)

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|[http://www.daemon-tools.cc/products/dtLite Daemon Tools LITE]

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* Nice UI.

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* Supports every Saturn image extension.

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* Installer tries to fill your computer up with adware, and newer versions force you to install adware (Version 4.30.4 does not force it).

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* Sends data on every image you mount to an outside location. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neowin.net/news/daemon-tools-knows-what-you-mounted-last-summer|title=Daemon tools spying}}</ref> (mostly applies to versions 4.4x and on, [https://mega.nz/#!ZLwFXJYL!CYc0yn38agyZcfcJm487Id2XoJZ9JrzfyGpZ-nGY9AQ version 4.3x] seems unaffected and still works with modern systems but might be buggier)

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* No longer run by the original team. Possibly Chinese spyware at this point.

Useful for sprite rippers are the numeral pad keys, which disable layers. Keep in mind this often causes 3D games to crash, and they already have lower compatiblity than 2D one when it comes to general emulations.

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==References==

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{{Reflist}}

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==Guides and Info==

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[http://www.racketboy.com/retro/sega/saturn/ssf-a-nearly-perfect-sega-saturn-emulator General Guide]

Contents

The best Saturn emulator right now. SSF is superior to Yabause and Mednafen for compatibility, but is Windows only, closed source and requires mounting ISO files in a virtual drive to run them.

A recent major update to 0.12 improved compatibility for certain games and broke others. It added support for some of the games such as Astal (needs "Enable SH2 Cache"). Keep both versions, pre- and post-0.12 just in case. To raise compatibility, you can try with "No Bios" enabled or disabled, and you'll want to start with the MaxCompatibility (slow) option, then try with the faster options (that do not always work).

SSF requires either an external virtual drive or a specific loader to read disc images. Close and restart the emulator (as it says in the Japanese dialogue popup appearing) whenever you modify the options for them to take effect.

Even though it has a "No Bios" option, you'll sometimes need the BIOS files, of course specifying the correct region in the options.

Some useful commands:

F7: Pause and Load State (Press 0-9 to choose)

Shift + F7: Pause and Save State (Press 0-9 to choose)

Numeral Pad 1-6: Disable 2D layers. Useful for sprite rips. Keep in mind this often causes 3D games to crash, and they already have lower compatibility than 2D one when it comes to general emulations.

This loader allows you to use disc image without having to mount them at all with the only major caveat being that it requires you to convert your rips to .CHD beforehand using chdman or one of it's forks.

As said above one of the ways to get SSF to use disc images is using a virtual disc drive. Sadly, most of the good free ones don't work with SSF for one reason or another. They either have a bunch of adware or they don't support some formats. The ones that do work (along with some that don't) will be listed below.

As of Preview Version R4, you can mount CD images that use .cue and .bin files by going to Options > Peripherals, then in the CD Image section, select Enable, then select the .cue file of your choosing, and restart the emulator. Mind you that this feature is still experimental, ergo the game will likely crash at certain points, so it's best to use the software below.

Doesn't support .mdf/.mds files. This is kind of a big deal, since quite a few of the Saturn's popular titles are only available as mdf/mds.

Can't mount .cue files. DON'T mount the .bin instead, as SSF will boot you back to the bios whenever it feels like it if you do. Instead, make a .ccd/.img copy with CloneCD and another virtual drive program.

The installer forces you to install crapware called Smart File Advisor, which you can't uninstall without uninstalling Alcohol.

(You can mostly ignore the program by stopping it from running on startup, or you can install the program while completely offline using an offline installer and the crapware will fail to install itself and won't cause any further issues at any point)